Method of checking the quality of traffic disturbance reporting processes

• US 8,144,032 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Bogenberger, Klaus, Hein, Robert, Kates, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US12/431,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20100073196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 340/934, 340/905, 340/928, 340/936, 340/937, 340/995.13, 701/117, 701/118
• US Class Current: 340/934
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data

Abstract

A method of checking the quality of traffic disturbance reporting processes records a total number of traffic disturbance reports generated by a traffic disturbance reporting process, which traffic disturbance reports each relate to at least one defined reporting time period and at least one defined reporting route segment, over a predefined analyzing time period and a predefined analyzing range. A number of reported conditions is formed from the total number of traffic disturbance reports, and a first statistical frequency distribution of the reported conditions is determined. A total number of reference observations are recorded, which each relate to at least one defined observation time period and at least one defined observation route segment, within the analyzing time period and within the analyzing range. A number of actual conditions is formed from the total number of reference observations and a second statistical frequency distribution of the actual conditions is determined. The second statistical frequency distribution is compared with the first statistical frequency distribution, and a quality indicator for the traffic disturbance reporting process is derived from the result of the comparison.

Claims

1. A quality checking method for traffic disturbance reporting processes, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving, by a computer from a service provider, a total number of traffic disturbance reports generated by a traffic disturbance reporting process, which traffic disturbance reports each relate to at least one defined reporting time period and at least one defined reporting route segment, over a predefined analyzing time period and a predefined analyzing range;

forming, by the computer, a number of reported conditions from the total number of traffic disturbance reports;

generating, by the computer, a first statistical frequency distribution of the reported conditions;

recording, by the computer, a total number of reference observations made by at least one measuring vehicle which each relate to at least one defined observation time period and at least one defined observation route segment, within the analyzing time period and within the analyzing range;

forming, by the computer, a number of actual conditions from the total number of reference observations made by the at least one measuring vehicle;

generating, by the computer, a second statistical frequency distribution of the actual conditions;

comparing, by the computer, the second statistical frequency distribution with the first statistical frequency distribution; and

generating, by the computer, a quality indicator for the traffic disturbance reporting process from a result of the comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of comparing, by the computer, the second statistical frequency distribution with the first statistical frequency distribution is carried out by using a chi-square distribution test.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference observations are recorded by measuring drives.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the reference observations are recorded by measuring drives.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein as a recommended quantity for planning additional measuring drives, a required length of the measuring drives is derived from an applicability criterion of the process used for comparing the two frequency distributions.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein as a recommended quantity for planning additional measuring drives, a required length of the measuring drives is derived from an applicability criterion of the process used for comparing the two frequency distributions.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of reported conditions is expanded with respect to the total number of traffic disturbance reports by a number of undisturbed reported conditions not indicated by traffic disturbance reports.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the number of reported conditions is expanded with respect to the total number of traffic disturbance reports by a number of undisturbed reported conditions not indicated by traffic disturbance reports.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the number of reported conditions is expanded with respect to the total number of traffic disturbance reports by a number of undisturbed reported conditions not indicated by traffic disturbance reports.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the number of reported conditions is expanded with respect to the total number of traffic disturbance reports by a number of undisturbed reported conditions not indicated by traffic disturbance reports.

11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the number of reported conditions is expanded with respect to the total number of traffic disturbance reports by a number of undisturbed reported conditions not indicated by traffic disturbance reports.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the act of outputting, by the computer, the quality indicator in the form of a numeric value that corresponds to a likelihood of whether the traffic disturbance reports adequately reflect actual traffic conditions.

13. A quality checking method for traffic disturbance reporting processes, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving by a computer, from a service provider, a total number of traffic disturbance reports generated by a traffic disturbance reporting process, which traffic disturbance reports each relate to at least one defined reporting time period and at least one defined reporting route segment, over a predefined analyzing time period and a predefined analyzing range;

forming by a computer a number of reported conditions from the total number of traffic disturbance reports;

generating by a computer a first statistical frequency distribution of the reported conditions;

recording by a computer a total number of reference observations made by at least one measuring vehicle which each relate to at least one defined observation time period and at least one defined observation route segment, within the analyzing time period and within the analyzing range;

forming by a computer a number of actual conditions from the total number of reference observations by the at least one measuring vehicle;

generating by a computer a second statistical frequency distribution of the actual conditions;

comparing by a computer the second statistical frequency distribution with the first statistical frequency distribution;

generating by a computer a quality indicator for the traffic disturbance reporting process from a result of the comparison; and

outputting by a computer the quality indicator in the form of a numeric value that corresponds to a likelihood of whether the traffic disturbance reports adequately reflect actual traffic conditions.